


soothing your tides (moonlight shines through)

by Vehka



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Telepathy, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Harm, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-06-19 13:38:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15511056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vehka/pseuds/Vehka
Summary: Betty can't help herself: whenever she is anxious, she'll find herself with the red crescents burned into her palms. She has tried to stop so many times she isn't even counting anymore. Archie has known for years, and even he won't ask her to. Not anymore: it has proven to be useless.Until she finds out every time she tries to contain her anxiousness that way, her mind is filled with something. With someone.And that certain someone won't let her to use the same escape route. However, he is about to show her another.*Or: Bughead AU where Jughead is a telepath.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first take with Riverdale fics and the first piece I've written in English for a long time, so... be gentle? However, you can point out all the grammar mistakes and typos if you want to, it'll certainly help. :)

It has been six years since she did it for the first time. She had started bleeding at school without any obvious reason, and she had been terrified, and her mother had just left her without explaining, because she was in a hurry. To be fair, she had _promised_ to explain later, but before that happened, Betty had been lying in her bed, crying and thinking she was about to die. Her belly had hurt and she was absolutely terrified, and she had dug her nails into her palms. Because she couldn't control the bleeding or the pain in her stomach, she did something else: created pain she _could_ control instead.

When her father found her a bit later, palms bleeding and eyes red-rimmed from all crying, he had explained - rather awkwardly - and given her hot chocolate and wrapped her inside a blanket. And then, afterwards, Hal had a very heated discussion with Alice. They made their peace relatively easy afterwards, though, and neither knew what had been planted that evening.

Betty had found a way to cope with the lack of control she feared more than anything else. 

*

When she was fifteen the red crescents were her constant companion. Stressful studies, secret crush for the boy next door, demanding parents and constant thrive to be perfect were an equation she couldn't solve without her way to escape. She hid the scars and bleeding as well as she could, but when Archie Andrews found out about the habit, she promised to stop. There weren't many things as powerful as her crush towards the redhead, so she was certain that escape route was forever blocked.

She was wrong.

*

It turned out Archie wasn't meant to be hers. That wasn't the point, really, though: even before the fateful night she confessed her feelings, her marks had started to return. First as shadows and faded pink, then deep red, then bleeding and angry. Pining after a boy was not enough, even best friends weren't enough. She needed the pain, and when Archie confessed he didn't feel the same way about Betty she felt about him, it was partly a relief. Because she didn't want to betray his trust, and somehow knowing he wasn't for her and therefore she wouldn't need to be perfect for him was liberating. She was allowed to have her pain instead. The flaw she allowed herself, so she could carry on being what was expected in all other ways.

*

Archie asked her to stop countless times, but she never did, and at some point they ceased to talk about it altogether. It was pointless, and since the discussions were a burden for them both, it was easier to give up.

The others didn't notice. Not even Alice with her prying eyes: Betty was always careful. This was her secret, and she was covering it by being perfect in every other way.

Everything was fine. 

*

And then everything changed.

It was early September. The day was bright and sunny, one of the last warm days. They were all sitting around a table, eating lunch and talking about the forthcoming exams. Jughead ate half of Betty's lunch (and then Kevin's), Veronica despaired because the arithmetics seemed to be impossible to comprehend, Archie complained about the difficulties of fitting together both music and football. And then it happened: the silence. Conversation was cut, because Veronica kissed Archie's cheek and said: "You will be just fine, Archiekins. You can do both - just focus on the thing which means more to you and do a little less of the other." 

The words weren't bad, but the kiss was. She rose, apologized, gave some lame excuse and walked away so she could calm down alone. Betty _knew_ Archie wasn't hers, and she had thought she was over it all, but apparently she had been lying to herself. As soon as she was alone in the toilet, her hands curled into fists and she felt the tinge of familiar, soothing pain. 

And then her fists suddenly uncurled all by themselves and she was left with the nagging anxiousness and feeling really confused. Why had she stopped? Betty tried to dig her nails into her palms again, but found out she couldn't, and then it happened.

 _"Nope",_ someone said in her head. _"Don't do that."_

Betty startled and looked around. The toilet was empty, and the voice belonged to a boy, so he shouldn't have been there anyway. Right?

 _"Correct",_ the voice answered with a hint of amusement. _"And yes, you are alone. And you aren't going crazy. I promise."_

"What is this, then?" Betty asked. Now she was more curious than anxious, although she still thought she might be going crazy. That wouldn't be so surprising, all things considered.

_"Ever heard of telepathy, Betty Cooper?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deal is made. Also, codenames, because codenames are cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus, personal life got me pretty shaken up. I'm happy to be back, though. As always, point out the typos and grammatical errors. All kudos and comments mean a world to me. ♥

_"Ever heard of telepathy, Betty Cooper?"_

The voice in her head had remained silent after that question. He was still present, though, because all Betty needed to do was to curl her fingers a bit, and she'd feel someone bending her will just enough to stop her.  
  
Betty held her composure until the school day ended - it was extremely difficult - and waved Archie, Veronica and Jughead of with some rather bad excuse. (One she couldn't even remember afterwards.) Then she walked briskly back to the Blue and Gold office, closed the doors and sat down on the floor.   
  
"Spill", she gnarled in her mind.  
  
_"Mmh?"_ the presence hummed back.   
  
"Who are you? Are you really there? And most importantly, why are you doing that?"  
  
_"Maybe I'm your conscience and just woke up a bit too late in the game? It is not exactly right to hurt oneself."_  
  
"Well, if it stops me from hurting others, I think it isn't that unethical", Betty answered. It was strange to talk about her self-harm this openly, since no-one else really knew about it. Except for Archie, and if Betty wasn't wrong, he thought she had stopped, too.  
  
_"What if you'd just find a better way to control yourself?"_ the voice asked. Clearly debating ethics wasn't his primary focus right now.  
  
"Do you think I haven't tried?" Betty blurted out.  
  
_"No"_ , the voice was softer. _"I know you, Betty Cooper. I know that you always fight until you've won the fight - or until there is absolutely nothing to be done. But this time I think you've given up too soon."_  
  
Betty didn't answer. She stared at her hands, the soothing crescents and short nails.   
  
_"I have a proposition."_  
  
"I figured out that much", Betty answered.  
  
_"Let me help you. When things become too much, I'll be there and calm you down. You don't have to be alone."_  
  
"I am perfectly capable of handling myself alone", Betty gritted her teeth.  
  
_"Yes"_ , the voice was so soft it was almost a whisper, _"but I can't bear to see you doing that. **To feel you doing that.**  Could you please let me try to help you?"_  
  
"Why this is so important to you?"  
  
_"Because -"_ the voice abruptly stopped. _"Because I guess you are. Important to me, I guess."_  
  
Betty sighed. "Okay, let's sum this up. You are a boy, a telepath, and you care about me deeply. So you have to be someone I know, right?"  
  
_"Always so eager to solve the puzzle"_ , the voice sounded amused and a bit worried at the same time. _"I was wondering when you'd start trying to focus on me instead of the real problem. But okay, let us strike a deal. If you let me try to help you, and if it doesn't work out, I promise to reveal who I am."_  
  
"I'll figure it out anyway."  
  
_"You won't. I am pretty good at this"_ , now the voice was smug and serious at once. _"I can stop you from guessing."_  
  
"Why don't you just... um, reprogram me to stop this, then?" Betty turned her palms up.  
  
_"I am a big fan of free will."_  
  
"So it seems", Betty answered drily. Then she took a deep breath, fastened her ponytail and stood up.  
  
"Okay. You obviously aren't going to give up, and it is pretty difficult to fight against a telepath, I guess. And I have to admit I'm a bit intrigued. So I'll make a deal with you."  
  
_"Good. Now I need a drop of your blood, a flower of hemlock and a candle to seal it."_  
  
Betty's eyes widened. "Really?"  
  
The voice chuckled. _"Nah."_  
  
The girl rolled her eyes. "You are the most irritating telepath I've ever talked with", she said. "How should I call you?"  
  
_"In latin. Incense and candles and pentagrams and all that stuff."_  
  
"The joking aside?"  
  
_"Mmm"_ , the voiced hummed thoughtfully. _"What about Lancelot?"_  
  
"As my valiant knight? I'm not your ordinary damsel in distress."  
  
_"No, you certainly aren't"_ , the voice said fondly. _"But you are seeking the Holy Grail yourself. Don't tell me you wouldn't like to solve this problem, because I know you do. You are always playing to win. So you'll be the Galahad to my Lancelot. I'll race you there."_  
  
Betty thought about it for a moment and nodded.  
  
"Lancelot", she said out loud, her lips curling upwards.  
  
_"My fair Galahad"_ , the voice answered, and Betty could hear he was smiling too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, I do have a slight problem with my obsession with Arthurian mythology. Then again, Betty and Jug both read a lot, so I thought it could be entirely possible for them to pick up those names. Let me know what you think!


End file.
